Major Depressive Disorder News

FRIDAY, Feb. 16, 2018 – Can the adoring gaze of a dog or the comforting purr of a cat be helpful to people with mental illness? Absolutely, new research suggests. Although furry companions won't replace medications or therapy for mental health concerns, they can provide significant benefits, according to British researchers. Their review of 17 studies found that pets can provide comfort, ...

TUESDAY, Feb. 13, 2018 – Nearly one in 10 U.S. adults has depression, and the rate is almost twice as high for women as men, health officials say. National survey data showed that more than 8 percent of adults aged 20 and older suffer from low mood, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among women, slightly more than 10 percent have depression, ...

MONDAY, Feb. 12, 2018 – Devices that send electrical pulses to the brain – in the comfort of your own home – are a treatment option for depression and certain other conditions. But a new research review finds little evidence they work. The therapy – known as cranial electrical stimulation (CES) – involves a handheld device that delivers low-intensity electrical currents through electrodes ...

MONDAY, Feb. 12, 2018 – While many will be showered with flowers and candy on Valentine's Day, those who have lost loved ones may find the holiday hard to bear. "Valentine's Day is one of the days that might be stressful for some people if they have lost someone special to them. There might be memories that re-emerge that can make someone sad," said Dr. Jin Han. He's an assistant professor at ...

FRIDAY, Feb. 9, 2018 – Acne can be emotionally devastating at any age, and new research suggests it could even throw you into a deep depression. "Our research has shown that patients with acne have a 63 percent increased risk of developing major depressive disorder in their first year following an acne diagnosis, compared to patients without acne," said study author Isabelle Vallerand. "We also ...

THURSDAY, Feb. 8, 2018 – Only one-third of people newly diagnosed with depression start treatment quickly, and seniors and minorities are the least likely to get help in a timely fashion, a new study finds. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 240,000 people in the United States who received a new diagnosis of depression from a primary care provider between 2010 and 2013. ...

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 7, 2018 – Fans around the world were shocked when comedian Robin Williams took his own life in 2014. But the tragedy didn't stop there: Researchers believe his grim death spawned a rash of copycat suicides. In the five months after Williams hung himself inside his California home, U.S. suicides went up nearly 10 percent, according to a new study. During that same time period, the ...

MONDAY, Jan. 29, 2018 – Talk therapy can be a cost-effective way to treat teens with depression who don't take or stop using antidepressants, a new study finds. Antidepressants are typically used to treat depression, but up to half of families with a depressed child decide against using these medications, according to the researchers. In addition, nearly half of teens who do start taking ...

MONDAY, Jan. 22, 2018 – Teens who are glued to their smartphones and other devices are unhappier than those who spend less time on digital media, new research finds. The study can't prove cause-and-effect, so it's not clear if teens are made unhappy by spending a long time on their devices, or whether less happy teens are simply drawn to using them more. But whatever the relationship, "the key ...

MONDAY, Jan. 22, 2018 – Millions of American families struggle to find and keep stable housing – and the fight to do so may end up harming kids' health. Researchers found that when families faced various types of "housing instability," moms had a higher risk of depression and kids were more likely to be in "fair" to "poor" health. It wasn't only overt homelessness that seemed to take a toll. ...

MONDAY, Jan. 15, 2018 – Teens who were severely bullied as children are at increased risk for mental health problems and suicide attempts, a Canadian study finds. The study included data on more than 1,300 children in the province of Quebec, from birth until age 15. About 59 percent of the children reported some bullying in their first years of elementary school, but that generally declined as ...

FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2018 – Various factors can increase a senior's chances of experiencing complications after surgery, but age apparently isn't one of them. A review of 44 studies that included more than 12,000 people aged 60 and older found that frailty, mental impairment, depressive symptoms and smoking increased the risk for complications after surgery. Age did not. The researchers, from St. ...

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 – A year of hormone therapy cut the risk of depression symptoms in women going through menopause and early postmenopause, new research shows. "Thirty-two percent of women randomized to treatment with a placebo experienced clinically significant depressive symptoms. But for women randomized to hormone therapy, the risk was cut nearly in half, to 17 percent," said ...

MONDAY, Jan. 8, 2018 – Parents aren't the only ones worried about their kids' smartphone habits. Some big Apple investors want the iPhone developer to make it easier for Mom and Dad to manage their children's phone time. Apple also needs to explore potential mental health effects of smartphone overuse, says a letter sent to the technology giant this weekend by Jana Partners LLC and the ...

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27, 2017 – The holiday blues might be a common phenomenon, but there's plenty you can do to protect your mental health this time of year. Even in a tumultuous year like 2017. "With its combination of natural and human disasters, this year was especially traumatic for many people," said Dr. Richard Catanzaro, chief of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, ...